The present invention relates generally to image recording apparatuses, and more particularly to an image recording apparatus having a front/rear sheet face sensor wherein a recording sheet being fed in upside down is detected by the sensor and the image recording processing is thereby controlled.
Heretofore, various types of image recording apparatuses have been developed and used. One uses a photosensitive pressure-sensitive recording medium and an image receiving sheet. The photosensitive pressure-sensitive recoring medium has a surface coated with an immense number of microcapsules encapsulating a chromogenic material therein. The developer sheet has a surface coated with a developer material which reacts with the chromogenic material. To perfrom image recordation, the photosensitive pressure-sensitive recording medium (hereinafter referred to as "microcapsule sheet") is exposed to an imaging light to selectively photocure the microcapsules to thus form a latent image thereon. The exposed microcapsule sheet is brought to facial contact with the developer sheet and a pressure is applied thereto, with the result that the microcapsules which remain uncured are ruptured and the chromogenic materials released therefrom react with the developer material to thus form a visible output image on the developer sheet.
In the image recording apparatus of the type described above, it is necessary that the developer material coated surface be brought into facial contact with the latent image formed surface of the microcapsule sheet. Nevertheless, the conventional image recording apparatuses are not provided with means for identifying the face of the developer sheet. Even if the developer sheet is erroneously fed upside down, a series of image processing are performed as is done normally, resulting in that no visible image is produced and a paper jam sometimes occurs.